A look back

I have found myself getting a little overwhelmed with nostalgia of what my life was like this week last year. It was definitely much crazier than I could have ever imagined this week being. For one, my little baby wasn't even due for another 5 weeks! That in itself is enough to totally rock a person's world when you think you still have 5 weeks to plan for this little one and all of the sudden bam...oh, now you only have a few days. So I wanted to reflect a bit for my own sake the ride that last year took us on starting on the night of February 6, 2006.

February 6th, Heath and I finished are breastfeeding class with our good friends Amanda and Curtis, as if there could be a more awkward situation to be in! We went home and I decided to rest on the couch and watch Survivor. Throughout the show, I noticed that I was having some interesting cramping feelings. I started to keep track of it in my head without telling Heath because I didn't want to be over dramatic (which is something he is constantly accusing me of, why, I have no idea) since Ella was not due for 5 more weeks. About 11:00 p.m., I told Heath what I had been feeling. We decided to try to lay down and relax and see if the contractions would go away because that is what "they" tell you to do. Well, the contractions continued to get worse and more often. So at about 1:30A.M. we headed for the hospital. They admitted us and called our doctor. He told the nurse to give me medicine through my IV to relax the uterus and hopefully stop the contractions. Sure enough, it worked! They sent us home at about 4:30A.M.

As I fell asleep that morning, thank You for Ambien the nurse sent me home with, I sighed a sigh of relief thinking we had dodged that premature bullet and I would be thankful that I still have the next 5 weeks to prepare at least one thing for the baby.
Obviously, the medicine didn't last long because the next day at 11:00A.M. they started again. This time they were even stronger. At noon on February 7th we headed back up to the hospital. They admitted us again and started me on the same medicine that they had given me the night before. Dr. Clark came to let us know that I was definitely in active labor but he wants to try to hold off the delivery until I was at 36 weeks. He doesn't like to deliver a baby at 35 weeks. He sent me home that evening at about 7:00p.m. with the oral form of medicine they were giving me through my IV. And he put me on bed rest until I was 36 weeks. (My good friend Sunni, who was also on bed rest at the time just wrote a hilarious entry about what it's like to be on bed rest.) At which time (36 weeks) he would also take me off the medicine that is stopping my contractions. WHAT?! Didn't he know I was willing to stay on this medicine for 5 more weeks! Take me off the medicine?! Didn't he know that I still hadn't had a single one of my baby showers, that I had a nursery that was still in the form of my husband's office, that I wasn't mentally prepared for a baby yet, THAT I STILL HAD NOT TAKEN MY BABY BISICS CLASS AND HAD NO IDEA HOW TO CARE FOR A BABY!!!!!! AHHHH!!!

(deep breath)

Our Sovereign God always has a plan and it is always perfect because the instant I stopped taking that medicine my body went into full blown contractions and the sweetest creation was born at 3:32p.m. on February 15th! At that time, everything came together. I was able to make it to one of my showers the week of my bedrest. The other one, my church shower, my amazing friends rescheduled and Ella was able to go with me to that one which was so fun. My husband and my mother totally transformed Heath's office into a beautiful nursery the week of my bed rest and we had everything we needed to care for this precious baby when we brought her home from the hospital. And now I'm going to have myself a cry for the amazing time this week was last year and for my baby girl turning one in 2 days!


4 lbs 15 ounces

Balloon Fun

Ella Factoid

The other day I had to measure Ella's head for this incredibly adorable bow that I ordered off of ebay, possibly my favorite website! Anyway...her head measured 17 1/2", which no big deal, totally normal. Then I started thinking about how her head around is longer than she was when she was born! She was so tiny and now she is so big and almost a year!

First Laney Playdate

Yea, we finally had our first playdate with Laney! Melissa, Joshua, me and Ella went over to Kristin's house on Tuesday. Yes...we could only wait 24 hours to get over there to get our hands on that sweet girl!


Laney, Ella and Joshua

She is precious! I was so excited to finally get to hold her and kiss her head!









































Laney loves to nuzzle! It's my favorite thing about her!

An Almost Lost Luxury

My close friends know that I have this top ten list of my favorite things in life. This list is not something that I threw together without thinking about, it has been well thought out and things that already exist on this list cannot be easily replaced. The criteria for this list is, there can not be anything on it that is living. It can only be items that bring me great joy to partake in.
One of the items on my top ten is a hot bath. This is something that has been almost competely absent in my life for the last year and a half. BUT last night, I had the most incredible hot bath of my life! My parents recently bought a new house and with it came this incredibly large master bathroom. And with that came the biggest, deepest garden tub of all time. Well, Heath and I have been moving for the last 6 days! It's been horrendous. I am so totally exhausted, almost every muscle in my body is sore and on top of that I now have a cold. So I went to my parents house last night and let them watch Ella as I delighted myself with an hour and a half, almost painfully hot bath with bubbles tumbling over the sides of the tub. I'm talking a Pretty Women bath!











Why do I love baths so much? I think you either love baths or you don't. If you don't, then you have no idea what I am talking about and can't relate in the slightest and are probably thinking I am crazy and how can this be when you are sitting in your own filth. And if you love them, you really love them and you've loved them from before you can remember loving them! There is nothing more relaxing to me than reading a book in a hot bath with candles lit and aromatherapy bubble bath from Bath and Body Works and letting the hot water relax every muscle in my body.
Let me explain why this was an almost lost luxury.
In June, 2005, I found out I was pregnant! What does that have to do with a hot bath? Well, if you've been pregnant you have been well warned, don't get in extremely hot water because it is bad for the baby. If you are currently pregnant you have to read the book Belly Laughs by Jenny MacCartney!! She has a chapter about her getting in a hottub after finding out she was pregnant to relax and celebrate, not knowing that it is a huge no no and a stranger yelling at her "GET OUT, GET OUT" after she told this stranger she just found out she is pregnant! It is hilarious! At my first doctor's appointment I asked him, can I take baths. He said, yes but don't get the water to hot and only stay in for about 20 minutes. WHAT?! Then what is the point of a bath, really! So for the next 9 months, I couldn't give up my baths, so I kept a thermometer on the edge of the bathtub and every few minutes I would check to make sure the water hadn't gone above 100 degrees. And I would only stay in for about 20 minutes. I guess it was better than no bath.
After 9 months, my beautiful daughter was born and I could finally take my hot baths again. Right? So I thought! First I had to wait a few weeks for everything to heal. After the healing was over, the baths still were not able to return. Why? Because I had a itty bitty baby that needed to eat every hour and a half to two hours and I was still breastfeeding at the time. I would just get in my hot bath, just beginning to feel some restoration to my tired body, when I would hear from the other room crying and then my husband coming in quietly and a little afraid and tell me, "the baby needs to eat." Shivering and sometimes crying (remember she was just born = raging hormones) I would get out, dry off and nurse my precious daughter. Sometimes I would attempt to get back in and other times I would wave the white flag.
My daughter will be a year in 14 days (tear) and I have come to the realization and begun to accept it that my bath times won't be the same until I have an empty nest. But I have been able to partake a little more the older she has gotten and the better my husband has gotten at watching her, although he still will call me out to change her poopy diaper. Don't get me started!
So last night was an incredible experience! It certainly made up for some lost time. Heath and I have just moved into an older duplex, cute but older. Which means no more garden tub, but I still plan on partaking in as much bath time as possible, until the next pregnancy and baby when it is lost all over again.

Welcome Home, Laney Lewis

I wish I could describe the excitement that was felt on Monday night @ 8:00 as our dear friends Kristin and Todd walked through gate A17 with their new baby Laney Lewis! With many butterflies in my stomach, Ella and I arrived there with much anticipation to finally be able to meet this little girl that has been such a huge part of our lives already. It was the perfect homecoming for the Lewis family! It was such joy to be able to finally celebrate in person with my dear friends!!


Melissa and I made shirts for Joshua and Ella that said Welcome Home Laneybug!


Our first look at the new family!

































































Laney was so happy to see her grandad!

I Love Technology!!

Last Sunday night I talked Heath into buying me a webcam so I could talk to Kristin, Todd and Laney while they were in Taiwan. It took much convincing but because of his sweet side, he bought me one and it has been worth every penny! I have had such a fun week with technology! Kristin and Laney, and me and Ella have gotten the chance to have many special conversations through our webcams! Ella and Laney already have had a chance to solidify that best friend relationship that Kristin and I so badly want them to have. Laney is amazing! They have had the best week. When they imagined for all those months of their perfect baby and the perfect situation and the perfect week, they had know idea how close they would get to those dreams. This week has proven how good the Lord is and how well He has taken care of them and Laney because all of those perfect things that they pictured in their heads have happened. It could not be any better! I'm sure most of you have been keeping up with them on her journal, but if you haven't here are a few of my favorite pictures! I can't wait until Monday night @ 7:45!! Only 2 more days!


Peter and Melissa came over Friday night for a few hours to help Heath and I move (which is a totally different yucky story), and Melissa and I got to talk to Kristin and Laney with our babies! I guess it could be their first official playdate!

Clip On Bows!

Great news...Ella actually has enough hair now to put a bow in her hair that CLIPS on! I am definitely not going to abandon the adorable bows that attach to a headband, especially since the clip bows can't stay latch on for longer than a few minutes due to her super fine hair. But, I discovered this last week when Ella and I went over to Kristin's to help her pack all of Laney's stuff for Taiwan! Since Laney and Ella are about the same exact size, Kristin wanted to try a few outfits and hats on Ella to make sure they would fit her Laney. And then we thought it would be fun to attach ALL of Laney's hair bows in Ella's hair, or should I say Kristin thought it would be funny!! And it was!

Christmas Day!!

Wow..I can't believe it is already the end of January and I sitll have not posted our Christmas day! I couldn't pass it up because there are some pictures that are too cute! It was a fabulous day! And we were totally rid of the nasty stomach virus!

My favorite Christmas present!


So my new favorite store is called BabyStyle. Heath's mom and sisters got Ella this adorable lamb chair and rug from there! I absolutely love it!

And now with all of her Christmas stuffed animals.


One of the many adorable presents from her Grandad and Grandma Angel!

This is the dinosaur toy that Heath and I got her.

They're Off!!!

We have been waiting for this day for months and it has finally come! When I say we, I mainly mean Todd and Kristin Lewis! But also me and lots of other family and friends that have walked along with them on this journey. Todd and Kristin left just an hour ago for Taiwan to bring their precious baby, Laney home! This morning Ella and I went to the airport to see them off and it was a very emotional time for all of us. Kristin and I have been through the ups and downs of this last year together and to see it now totally unfold into God's perfect plan was a blessing and a pouring out of tears! In just 10 days, Ella and I will be back at that airport, with anxious knots in my stomach, as we wait for that family of 3 to step through the gate!! They will be posting videos and pictures while they are away, so to keep updated click on the Kristin and Laney link to the left.